


Wolf Master

by exclamation



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Jungle Fury, Wolfblood
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Pack Family, Werewolves, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-22
Updated: 2013-08-29
Packaged: 2017-12-24 07:31:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/937064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exclamation/pseuds/exclamation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhydian is sent to RJ to learn how to control the wolf inside him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a crossover between Power Rangers and the BBC TV series Wolfblood. It's set a while after Power Rangers Jungle Fury and shortly after the end of the first season of Wolfblood.
> 
> I've made a teaser trailer video for this fic: [watch it on YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkCTfIFh2bA)

Rhydian woke up damp and cold, the bare ground beneath him rocky and uncomfortable. He felt simultaneously tired and exhilarated, as he usually did after a full moon. His wolfblood strength was at its highest, but he’d spent the night awake and aware, running free in the moonlight. 

He shifted on the ground and felt the uncomfortable tightness around his neck. Sort of free, anyway. He reached up to touch the metal collar around his neck, the edges rubbing against his skin. The wolf in him hated the presence of the collar. He remembered the night before, when the wolf had ruled his soul. He’d tried to rip the collar off. Now he felt the grazes his animal instincts had caused. 

“Rough night?” 

Rhydian sat up. RJ was standing among the trees. He must have followed the tracking signal from the collar. 

“A good night,” Rhydian said. “A rough morning.” 

RJ offered a hand, which Rhydian accepted and got to his feet. They walked together through the green woods above the city. Rhydian’s senses were still heightened by the wolf. He breathed in life and earth and growing things, with the faint tang of the ocean always present, overlaid by the closer scent of RJ, human mingled with just a trace of wolf. 

“Your memories?” RJ asked. 

Rhydian thought over the night before. Usually, the night of a full moon was a vague memory of emotions and wildness. He imagined it was what someone would feel like after drinking heavily, looking back over a haze of images and sensations that were difficult to picture with any clarity. Today though, he could remember running free, the feel of the wind in his fur and the moon in his blood. He remembered the sharpness of his senses and the thrill of being free. He remembered the sense of lack, that there should have been a pack running beside him. 

For a moment, Rhydian felt a surge of homesickness, but he dismissed it quickly. 

“Clearer,” he answered. “Clearer than they’ve ever been after a full moon.” 

RJ smiled, “Good.” 

Rhydian returned the smile, the strength of the moon still lingering in his blood. 

“Race you,” he said, and sprang off into a run. RJ followed, laughing and calling out about cheating. Rhydian ran, dodging between trees, leaping over roots and fallen branches, laughing at the wind in his face. He wasn’t running his fastest, but he knew that RJ was dropping behind, not even trying to keep up. 

Rhydian glanced back, seeing the empty path, and dodged round through the trees, doubling back. He went wide, so RJ wouldn’t see him, before coming back along the path. He leapt onto RJ from behind. 

RJ twisted, throwing Rhydian to the ground without effort. 

Rhydian tried to roll with the movement, to get up, but RJ had followed through and was pinning him. RJ had his arm in a tight grip, twisting it up and forcing Rhydian’s face into the dirt. 

“Too slow, cub,” RJ said. 

“I yield, I yield.” Rhydian tried to shift away from the painful tug against his shoulder. 

“Who is the alpha wolf here?” RJ asked. 

“You are!” 

Rhydian’s face was pressed into the ground, but he knew without seeing that RJ was grinning. RJ’s free hand gave him a patronising pat on the head, like he was some pet dog. 

“Good boy.” 

RJ stepped back, again offering a hand to help Rhydian up. Rhydian accepted the hand, but he was beginning to understand why Maddy ended up in so many arguments with her parents. He supposed this was what it was like to have a family. 

They walked the rest of the way together, coming to the pizza parlour at the edge of the city. RJ let them in through the main restaurant, empty at this point of the morning. They headed back into the kitchen, where Lily was already at work, making dough in preparation for the arrival of customers. She looked at them, frowning at the dirt which was staining Rhydian’s clothes. 

“What happened to you?” she asked. 

RJ and Rhydian exchanged a glance and said simultaneously, “Rough night.” 

“Go get yourself cleaned up,” RJ said. 

Rhydian headed up the stairs into the apartment above Jungle Karma Pizza. He’d been staying here with RJ for a little over a month now, since shortly before the last full moon. RJ was both a guardian and a warden, holding him a prisoner while giving him enough freedom to satisfy the wolf inside. But controlled. He fingered at the collar. 

In the little bathroom, Rhydian examined his neck. It wasn’t too bad. The collar had scraped his skin a little red and raw, but nothing had broken through the skin. Or if it had, the healing power of the moon had stopped it from doing too much harm. 

He stripped off all but the collar and took a quick shower, dressing afterwards in the JKP uniform. Then he hurried back downstairs to help get the restaurant ready. Another day of making pizzas and trying to be friendly with the customers. He didn’t have Lily’s flair for putting people at their ease, but he was getting better at faking it, plastering a smile on his face and trying to keep it there even with the difficult customers. In his first few days here, he hadn’t been a model of customer service and that hadn’t helped make his case to RJ. If he ever wanted to get the collar off, he had to get RJ to trust him. 

By the time he came downstairs, Theo had arrived, bringing bags of fresh supplies to be stored in cupboards and fridges. RJ was in a playful mood, perhaps the moon’s influence on his wolf spirit. He was tossing tomatoes around the kitchen, to be caught by Theo and Lily, both laughing. 

Rhydian managed a smile as he snatched a tomato out of the air. He remembered the sense of loneliness from the night before. He could make these his pack, make a home here for himself. 

“Are you hungry?” RJ asked. 

“Yeah,” Rhydian answered. A night of running around the woods in wolf form would do that. 

“One breakfast special coming right up.” 

“I don’t know,” Rhydian said, “I still think cornflakes and pizza are a weird combination.” 

“You need to open your mind to the possibilities,” RJ insisted. “The closed minded categorisation of foods into specific meals just blind you to the infinite variety at your fingertips.” 

“Maybe so, but I’ll stick to having my varieties in a bowl with milk.” 

“My genius is not appreciated,” RJ complained, while Rhydian went to the cupboards to prepare a less bizarre breakfast than RJ would have provided. 

***

The work day at JKP had its peaks and troughs, frantic mad rush periods and moments of calm in between. Lunch passed in a whir of serving and cleaning, trying to clear space the instant a group of customers left to squeeze the next cluster in. Then came the lull, when customers left but weren’t replaced. Rhydian was clearing one of the booths, pocketing the tip as he wiped up spilled sauce. There were only two groups still eating. 

Theo came out of the kitchen to Rhydian, waving him towards the back. 

“RJ wants to see you,” he said. “I’ll finish up.” 

Back in the kitchen, Lily was wiping down the counters, splattered now with flour and pizza sauce. She nodded towards the stairs. In the main space of the apartment upstairs, RJ was laying out the meditation mats. 

“Today?” Rhydian asked. He wasn’t a fan of meditation. Sitting still for long periods of time was not something that appealed to him overly, but it had become a major part of his training with RJ. 

“Today,” RJ answered. “Today, the wolf’s spirit is at its strongest. What better time to understand it?” 

Understanding the wolf spirit was RJ’s big goal for him. When Rhydian had first come here, he’d been afraid that his training would be all about suppressing the wolf, controlling it. RJ’s intentions were quite the opposite. He’d explained that by suppressing the wolf, Rhydian would give it no outlet for its desires and wilder impulses. With no outlet, those impulses would build and he risked losing control to the animal completely. RJ wanted to bring the human and wolf closer together, so that the human side of him was always influenced by the wolf and vice versa. His human form would always be motivated by his wolf spirit and his wolf form would always be tempered by human intellect. 

As Rhydian sat down cross-legged on the mat to begin his meditation, RJ was once again talking about the perfect merging of animal spirit and human soul. Rhydian let the words flow over him; he’d heard this all before. 

He tried to find the still point inside where wolf and boy existed side-by-side. He tried to see which parts of him came from the wolf trying to be heard. Which desires were human and which animal? Which feelings came from each side of his soul? If he could recognise both, he could address both. 

The day after a full moon, he could feel the wolf inside him, a beast raging against the human form. It wanted to run, to play, to race with the wind. The walls around him were a cage, trapping him. The wolf raged against the human need to fit in, to be normal, to smile at customers for the sake of a few notes’ tip. The wolf wanted to belong, to be with its own kind, to run with the pack. The animal drives met with the part of him that was a teenage boy and wanted to mate, to find a partner to share himself with. The wolf wanted to rip the collar from his neck and fight those who’d tried to him it. 

He felt it all. In human form, he was a little separated from it, but all these instincts and drives were a part of him, pushing against the human mind. 

Rhydian opened his eyes. RJ was sitting back in his chair, one eye on one of his TV screens, the other watching Rhydian. 

“How are you feeling?” RJ asked. 

“Caged,” Rhydian answered. RJ gave a slow nod. 

“I’m going for a run,” Rhydian said. RJ nodded again, but he reached for a drawer and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. 

“You may want these,” RJ said. 

Rhydian caught the sunglasses that were tossed. He went to a small mirror at the edge of the room and saw his eyes. They shone gold from the middle of an otherwise human face. His eyes looked like he was on the verge of transformation, of losing control to the wolf. He didn’t feel out of control, but he supposed this was a result of bringing the wolf closer to the surface. 

He put on the glasses, tossed a smile at RJ, and then set off to run through the woods until the wolf instincts were satisfied.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Rhydian returned to JKP, his eyes had returned to normal. He could still feel the wolf inside, just beneath the surface, yearning for a pack to run with, but it was appeased for now. He put the sunglasses away upstairs and then came back to the restaurant to prepare for the dinner rush. RJ was making pizzas in the kitchen. He gave Rhydian a nod and a smile. 

Rhydian got on with work, helping Lily out front to seat the customers as they came in and take their orders. Many were regulars, drawn back by RJ’s excellent if eccentric cooking. A few were here for the first time. Rhydian was seating one such group, a family with a daughter a little younger than he was. She was looking at him weirdly the whole time he was taking their order. When he returned with their drinks, she asked him, “What’s with the funky jewellery?” 

There was disapproval in her tone. Rhydian’s hands were busy with the tray of drinks, so he couldn’t reach self-consciously for the collar. The human wanted to run back to the kitchen and avoid drawing attention his strangeness. The wolf wanted to attack, to rage against his girl for noticing this sign of weakness, for emphasising the fact he wasn’t the alpha in this territory. 

“I have to wear it,” he said. He started to turn for the kitchen, but the girl spoke again. 

“Why?” 

The wolf was too close to the surface, angry and snarling. 

“Because I’m dangerous,” he snapped. 

The girl just laughed, “If you were dangerous, you wouldn’t be serving pizza.” 

Rhydian had to rein the wolf in. He hurried back to the kitchen, gripping the drinks tray with a white-knuckled fist. He slammed the tray down on the counter, making Theo jump and nearly drop the pizza he was retrieving from the oven. 

“What happened?” RJ asked. 

“I hate customers!” the words came out almost as a snarl. Rhydian could feel the wolf, right below the surface. It wanted freedom. It wanted to show his strength. It wanted to show that girl how dangerous he really was. He could feel the first signs of the change flowing through him, the wolf in his blood. 

Then he saw the disappointment in RJ’s eyes. 

The anger vanished. In that moment, the wolf slunk back into the corner of his mind. The human was there, in full control, ashamed at how close he’d been. He didn’t want to disappoint RJ. And he knew that if he lost control like this, they’d never take the collar off. 

“Sorry,” Rhydian murmured. He grabbed the cooked pizza from Theo, ignoring the funny look, and went to take it out to the appropriate table. 

His wolfblood hearing caught the snippet of conversation from the kitchen. 

“What’s Rhydian’s story?” Theo asked, not for the first time. 

***

Rhydian made it through the rest of the day. They closed the door on the final customers and cleaned up the restaurant. Rhydian worked in silence until RJ waved Theo and Lily off home. Then it was just the two of them, Rhydian cleaning up while RJ sat at one of the empty tables. 

“How close?” RJ asked. 

Rhydian was cleaning a table that was already clean. Anything to avoid meeting RJ’s gaze. 

“Close,” he admitted. “Someone asked about the collar again. The wolf part of me hates the collar and the human part of me hates having everyone staring.” 

He didn’t ask the question. He didn’t want to put RJ in the position of having to refuse. He knew that the collar wasn’t RJ’s choice. He also knew that he was lucky this was all he had to deal with. It would have been easy for the Guardians to shove him in a cage as a dangerous beast and not worry about him anymore. 

RJ leaned on the table, watching Rhydian carefully. Rhydian found another table to wipe, feeling uncomfortably exposed under that gaze. RJ had a habit of not just looking but seeing, understanding him in a way that was disconcerting. 

“I promised I wouldn’t take the collar off unless I was absolutely certain there wouldn’t be any more incidents,” RJ said. “Can you promise me that?” 

Rhydian sank into one of the booth seats. 

“How about just for a few days,” he said, “in the middle of the month? When I’m not so close to the full moon?” 

RJ didn’t answer at once. It was comforting that he didn’t immediately refuse. Or maybe he was just trying to refuse in a polite way. When RJ did answer, he was uncharacteristically serious. 

“Seven days,” he said. “Prove to me over the next seven days that you won’t lose control. No unplanned transformations. No close calls. No temper tantrums. And you focus on your training to channel the wolf constructively. You’ll do everything I ask. Everything.” 

“You’re not going to ask me to rub your shoulders again, are you?” 

RJ’s serious expression faded into a smile, “Now that’s an idea.” 

Rhydian chuckled, “Seven days. Deal.” 

They shook on it, there in the restaurant, and RJ motioned at his eyes and Rhydian in a ‘watching you’ gesture before retreating to the kitchen. Rhydian was smiling. Seven days. All he had to do was keep the wolf from going wild for seven days and he’d get the collar off. 

When he went up to RJ’s apartment and bed, he was feeling less optimistic. He couldn’t afford another incident like today. One bad customer could destroy this whole thing. 

He got changed for bed and took out the tips he’d collected during the day, tucking them with the rest of his savings in the bottom of a drawer. Then he got into bed and felt the wolf stirring inside as the almost full moon rose overhead. 

***

“Leave the clean-up in the restaurant,” RJ said to Lily and Theo the following evening. “I’ve got some training for Rhydian.” 

Rhydian had been putting away unused supplies but he followed RJ into the restaurant. 

“Wax on time?” he asked. RJ’s idea of training matched Rhydian’s idea of tedious chores. He wasn’t hugely surprised when RJ handed him a bucket full of cleaning supplies. 

“I want you to clean the restaurant,” RJ said, “completely. I want you to get every single scrap of food waste. Every crumb. Every sauce smear. Every little tiny piece of residue. All of it.” 

“That’s your idea of training?” 

“Enjoy!” 

RJ disappeared back into the kitchen. Rhydian unpacked the cleaning supplies and went to fill the bucket with soapy water. He wasn’t quite sure how this differed from his usual duties, but he started work anyway. He assumed from RJ’s comments that this was meant to be a more thorough clean than usual, so he took care with every table he scrubbed down, wiping all the surfaces. He even washed the table legs and undersides, so that RJ couldn’t claim he’d missed any areas. Then he moved on to the floor. 

He wasn’t sure how this was supposed to count as training, unless RJ was seeing whether he got angry at having to do the whole clean-up by himself. Rhydian wondered if RJ was expecting a health inspector and was just using the deal to ensure an extra-thorough clean. 

Rhydian took about twice as long over the clean as usual and looked around the polished surfaces of the restaurant. But he was thinking about how RJ had described this. It could be as simple as just giving a good clean. There had to be more to this. 

Rhydian reached inside him for the wolf, breathing in the smell of the restaurant, the food smells drifting from the kitchen, the faint linger of the day’s customers, RJ’s scent on everything marking this his territory, and over it all the smell of cleaning products. But there was something else, faint, barely noticeable under the other smells. A lingering odour of old food. Rhydian followed the smell to the booths, sniffing and searching. 

Something was caught between the cushions of the booths, a few crumbs that normal cleaning would miss. Rhydian wrapped his hand in a disinfectant-sprayed cloth and forced his fingers between the cushions, cleaning in every crevice. 

When he was done with all the booths, he turned back to the rest of the room, sniffing carefully. The more he focused on his sense of smell, the more it was like a second form of seeing. The layers of scent floated through the room, some identifiable, some not. He tried to distinguish the smells from the kitchen to identify any more food traces here. He shut his eyes, sinking deeper into the world scents. He could see shadowy forms of the day’s guests, where they’d sat and where they’d played. There were the greasy finger marks on the games at the edge of the room. The scents were layered over and over, the later customers more easily distinguished than the earlier ones. 

Rhydian thought he’d be able to identify them all by their unique scents. 

Working by sense of smell alone, he cleaned up the pinball machine, which held traces of grease around the controls. Then he wiped one of the skirting boards, which had a few crumbs caught on the top. 

When he’d cleaned just about every surface in the place, scrubbed everything he could reach and wiped it all with disinfectant, he stood in the middle of the restaurant, eyes closed. He breathed in the smells. Most of the earlier scents had been wiped away. He could still pick out RJ, Lily and Theo, along with his own odour. Almost everything else was smothered in the perfumes of the cleaning products. 

The door opened, bringing in outdoor smells of sea and traffic, and an unrecognised person. 

“Are you OK?” 

Rhydian opened his eyes, realising that he’d been standing with his eyes shut in the middle of the restaurant. He must have looked really odd. The guy in front of him was a young man, a red sweatshirt on over jeans. 

“I’m fine,” he said. “Sorry, but the restaurant’s shut now.” 

“Yeah, I know, I’m actually here to see RJ.” 

Rhydian went for the simplest method of getting his boss here: “RJ!!!” 

His yell echoed round the restaurant, no doubt carrying through the kitchen and into the apartment above. A moment later, the kitchen door swung open. 

“What’s all the commotion?” RJ started. He stopped, staring at the young man in the restaurant. 

“Hi, RJ.” 

RJ crossed the room in three strides, wrapping the young man in a hug: “Casey!” 

So this was Casey, RJ’s previous student, who’d lived here before Rhydian had been dumped on him by the Guardians. There was a twinge of jealousy as RJ and Casey embraced like family. Rhydian just stood there, a bucket and cleaning gear in his hands. He realised his hand had tightened into a fist around the bucket’s handle and he forced his grip to loosen. 

Rhydian sniffed. He’d spent the past couple of hours living in a world of scents, so it was easy to pick up this man. 

“You’re not a wolf,” he said, realising a moment too late that he’d said it out loud. 

Casey turned to him and gave a quiet laugh, “No. Tiger.” Casey gave an odd look to RJ and back to Rhydian, “You’re not Pai Zhuq.” 

“Pie what?” 

Casey turned a quizzical gaze to RJ. 

“Rhydian’s situation is complicated.” 

RJ led Casey off to catch up, not even pausing to thank Rhydian for the work he’d done cleaning the restaurant. At least that was an excellent test of whether Rhydian could keep his temper.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Rhydian got up early and went for a run. He tried an experiment based on last night’s experiences. He focused on his sense of smell and used that to navigate through the forest. The world was alive with scents. The plants around him each had their own subtleties and he could pick up the faint traces of the people who occasionally walked the forest path. From time to time, he could find his own scent and RJ’s, following them between the trees with his eyes closed, navigating by smell alone. 

He’d used his wolfblood senses in human form, but this went well beyond that. This was the animal and the human in union, human intelligence making use of animal senses and giving him something greater than either. 

He made it all the way back to JKP without opening his eyes, using his ears as well as his nose once he reached the city streets. He didn’t want to get run over like a stray pet just because he was listening to the animal. 

He opened the door and let himself in, opening his eyes when he picked up the unfamiliar smell in the kitchen. Casey was there, mixing dough. 

“Hi,” Casey said cheerfully. 

“Hi.” Rhydian’s reply was much more cautious. He looked suspiciously at Casey. Did this mean he was coming back here? Again he felt that surge of territorial jealousy. He didn’t want to share RJ. 

“I take it you’re not from round here,” said Casey. 

“No. England.” 

“Oh. Must be an interesting change coming here.” 

Rhydian went over to the fridge to retrieve the ingredients for the pizza sauce so he could start mixing that up. Casey didn’t seem so willing to let the conversation die. 

“So how long have you been staying with RJ?” Casey asked. 

“What is this? An interrogation?” 

“No. I’m just curious. RJ didn’t tell me much about you.” 

“Maybe he had reasons for that.” 

“I’m sorry if I’ve offended you,” said Casey. “I was just surprised to learn that RJ had taken on another student, particularly one who’s not Pai Zhuq.” 

“Glad I could surprise you, tiger.” The last word came out sounding like an insult. Rhydian hadn’t meant it to. He was supposed to be on his best behaviour and getting angry at RJ’s friends wouldn’t help convince that he could be trusted. Rhydian took a breath and forced down the emotions, holding back the wolf within. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just don’t like to talk about it. RJ knows why I’m here and that’ll have to do for you.” 

To Rhydian’s surprise, Casey just smiled and said, “OK.” 

That was the point when the door opened and Lily and Theo came in to start their day’s work. They were thrilled to see Casey, Lily in particular greeting him by grabbing him into a fierce hug. As the three talked quickly, asking each other how they were and about acquaintances Rhydian had never met, Rhydian once more felt like the intruder in someone else’s territory. These guys were a pack, wolf or not. They were RJ’s pack. 

Rhydian wasn’t. 

***

Rhydian soon learned the Casey was a teacher at some special school. The name Pai Zhuq came up a few times but RJ was hesitant to explain what that meant. Rhydian had worked out that it was something to do with the tattoos they all had on their arms, but no one would tell him. Given how many secrets RJ was keeping for him, Rhydian didn’t press the issue. Whatever the school was, it seemed they were on a short holiday and Casey had taken the time to visit his old boss. 

Casey slotted into the kitchen like he belonged there, chatting with Lily and Theo like he’d never left. Rhydian, surrounded by these smiling faces, felt more alone than ever. 

Over the next few days, RJ continued giving Rhydian exercises to help connect the wolf and human parts of his being together, but then he’d disappear off to spend time with Casey while he was here. Rhydian kept thinking of Maddy and her family, of the friends he’d left behind. He’d once had a place he belonged, a place where he fit as well as these guys did. He wanted that back. 

As he gathered up tips and wages, adding them to the store in his drawer, he counted up his savings, working out how much it would cost to get home. He was able to hold his wolf side in check by remembering that stash of cash. Whenever he got annoyed or angry, he would think of that collection of notes and know that he would be able to get back to his own territory. 

Assuming RJ kept his side of the bargain. 

***

“Seven days,” RJ said, coming into the restaurant where Rhydian had just turned round the closed sign and shut the door on the last guest. 

Rhydian grinned and turned to RJ. 

“Seven days,” Rhydian said. He hadn’t lost his temper once. 

“Come on,” RJ said. Rhydian followed him through the kitchen, where Casey was still hanging around, helping the other two with the clean-up. RJ led the way upstairs and into the apartment. Rhydian followed, going through into RJ’s bedroom. The whole room smelt of RJ, of comfort and wolf. 

RJ opened a drawer and dug around inside for a small key. He walked over to Rhydian, his face set in unusual seriousness. 

“I’ll have to put it back on before the next full moon,” RJ said, “but until then, I’m trusting you to stay in control. Channel the wolf instincts but don’t let it control you.” 

“I promise,” Rhydian said. 

RJ slipped the key into a lock on the back of the collar, then pressed his thumb to a small sensor pad. There came a faint beep and then Rhydian felt the collar fall away. The sudden air against his neck was exhilarating. The wolf rejoiced inside at this freedom. The human was thrilled at RJ’s faith in him. 

Grinning, Rhydian flung his arms around RJ in a hug. RJ chuckled slightly as he returned it. Then Rhydian pulled away, grinning madly now. 

“Back soon,” he said. 

He leapt down the stairs, despite RJ’s cry of protest. Rhydian raced past the surprised three in the kitchen, out the door and into the night. He pounded his way along streets and out of the city until he reached the woods. He ran through the moonlit night, life all around him, freedom calling to him. No electronic trackers. No one watching to see where he went. Just trust and freedom and the moon. 

He indulged his wolf side for a little while before turning back and running to the pizza parlour. The others were gone when he got there. There was just RJ, sitting in the restaurant, watching the door and waiting. There was a look of concern on his face, quickly hidden when Rhydian walked in, like a father nervous when a child went out alone. 

“Thank you,” Rhydian said. 

“Come on. We’ve got work in the morning.” 

Rhydian followed RJ upstairs and then went to his own bedroom. He listened to RJ moving around for a bit. When silence fell over the apartment, Rhydian went to his drawers. He pulled out his money, counted the notes carefully, and then began packing clothes into a backpack. When everything was ready, he found a piece of paper and a pen, writing two words in a simple note: back soon. 

He slunk downstairs and let himself out. This time, when he started running, it wasn’t to the woods but to the airport.


	4. Chapter 4

The flight was hell. Trapped in a metal box for more hours than Rhydian cared to count. He’d never felt more claustrophobic. There was nowhere to run, no way to get space, just people crammed around him on all sides. 

It was the closest he’d come to losing control for a long time. The human part of him knew he couldn’t do that. If he wolfed out here, surrounded by trapped people, he’d never have freedom again. He pictured Maddy’s face in his mind, tried to meditate with the exercises RJ had taught him, tried to lose himself in films on the little screen 

“Nervous flier?” asked the woman sitting next to him, noticing Rhydian’s constant fidgeting. 

“I don’t like enclosed spaces,” he admitted. 

She offered him a sleeping tablet so that he could snooze away the flight, but he remembered what had happened the last time Maddy had taken an innocuous pill. He couldn’t risk that. So he sat there for several hours watching the little plane icon move across the map. 

He somehow made it through. The worst part was when the plane had landed and he was trapped in his seat while they connected up the ramp and then every other person pushed to get through the one door. It felt like the nightmare would never end but then he was out into the airport, hurrying to passport control so he could just get outside and feel the wind again. 

He had a long way still to go. A train and a bus ride took him closer to his destination. He managed to get some sleep on the train. He still felt cramped and trapped but at least he could go into the vestibule and open a window. At long last, about a full day after he began his journey, he got off the bus at a small town near to Stoneybridge. He could wait for another bus but they were infrequent and slow. So he shifted the weight of his rucksack and started running. 

There were woods all around Stoneybridge, between the farms and fields. As Rhydian started running between the trees, each step felt more familiar. He was nearly home, nearly in territory where he belonged. The trees smelled right here, a subtle difference from the woods near JKP. They were damp with British rain. Plants and animals that he’d known so well filled the air with fragrance that told him he was home. 

Despite being tired from his journey and jetlag, each step made him feel more alive. He was free. He was running with the wind. He belonged. 

He picked up the scent of wolf on the breeze and changed his direction, running towards the familiar scent with all the speed he could muster. There were other smells, human but equally welcome. He raced towards them and caught a glimpse of Maddy standing up, surprised, as she caught his scent. 

Rhydian barrelled out of the trees and grabbed hold of Maddy. It was part hug, part tackle. They ended up rolling down a muddy slope, Rhydian’s arms around her as he laughed. 

“What the hell?” he heard Shannon say. Then Rhydian was lying on the ground next to Maddy, still laughing. He looked up at Tom and Shannon, who were standing at the top of the slope, staring in shock. 

“You’re back,” said Maddy. Then it was her turn to fling her arms around him and he ended up half-pinned on the earth. 

“You scared the life out of me!” Tom complained, but he hurried over. As Rhydian extracted himself from Maddy and got to his feet, he found himself hugged by the other two in turn. 

“What happened?” Maddy asked. “Are you back to stay?” 

Rhydian shook his head, “I’m just visiting. I’ve missed you guys.” 

“Well, we haven’t missed you at all,” said Tom, contradicting the earlier hugging. The girls turned to look at him and he relented, “Well, maybe a little.” 

“So how long are you here for?” Shannon asked. 

“Just a couple of days.” Rhydian had worked it all out. He ought to see his mum and Brin while he was here, to let them know he was OK. His mum had probably freaked when he was taken off by humans again. But the pack lived in the middle of nowhere so getting to them wouldn’t leave him much time to get back to the airport and back to RJ before the full moon. 

“We’d best make the most of it then,” said Tom. “Burgers at Bernie’s?” 

“Sure,” Rhydian said. “But I don’t have much money.” 

He had a few American notes in his pockets, but his English money had all gone on the train and bus to get here. 

“I guess Wolfbloods don’t get an allowance,” Tom said. “Don’t worry, I can shell out for a burger.” 

“Thanks.” 

The four of them walked together towards the village. For the first time in months, Rhydian felt right. He felt like he belonged. Here was his pack. 

“What’s it like?” Maddy asked. “Being a wild Wolfblood?” 

They must assume that he’d been with his mum this whole time. Rhydian wasn’t sure he wanted to fill them in on the truth. Explaining about RJ would mean explaining about how he’d been caught. He wasn’t ready for that yet. So he didn’t exactly lie, but he left one massive hole in his story. 

“It was fun at first,” he said. “Living in the wild, running free. No walls. Not having to be afraid of being caught, being seen, being weird.” He grinned. “But it got old fast.” 

“What do you mean?” Maddy asked. 

“Hunting rabbits,” he answered. “And a group of Wolfbloods weren’t about to light a fire to cook them.” 

“You lived off raw rabbit?” asked Shannon. Her tone expressed her utter disgust at the concept. 

“When you’re in wolf form, it feels normal,” he said. “It’s just when you turn back into a human and you’re picking rabbit fur out of your teeth that it feels weird.” 

“Ew,” Tom made a face. 

“That’s why a burger sounds so good.” 

They moved on from talking about food to some of the other issues he’d had to deal with. 

“I couldn’t draw,” he said. “There was no paper or pens. The Wolfbloods couldn’t read. I tried to teach Brin the alphabet and my mum flipped out, saying I was trying to turn him human.” 

“No school’s gotta be a plus,” said Tom. 

“Yeah, but I don’t want to be ignorant. The wild Wolfbloods didn’t seem to care about anything but hunting and running with the pack. They didn’t care about the fact that there was a whole world out there.” 

“So does this mean you won’t be going back to your mum?” Maddy asked. Rhydian thought he detected a note of hope in her voice. 

“I’m going to go see her,” Rhydian said, “to let her know I’m OK, but I’m living with someone else.” 

“A new foster family?” 

“Sort of. Yeah.” 

They’d reached the village and walked between the houses towards the square and Bernie’s café. It was strange to be back but it felt right. Everything smelled so familiar. There were traces of people he knew, kids from school, even the Vaughns, who’d looked after him while he’d lived here. He followed his nose and the scent of cooking meat to the café where Tom placed the order. 

“So the weirdo’s back.” Jimi was sitting at the corner table with a couple of his mates. He was staring straight at Rhydian. For once, Rhydian didn’t care. Even Jimi’s rude remarks felt right, comforting in a bizarre way. He just smiled cheerfully. 

“Hi, Jimi.” 

While they waited for their food, Rhydian asked about life in Stoneybridge. They told him about the aftermath of his disappearance. It seemed that the Vaughns had reported Rhydian missing after the first day. The police had gone through the village asking questions. There’d been an investigation into the Vaughns, to see if they’d done something to drive Rhydian into running away. Rhydian felt a surge of guilt at that. His foster family had been decent people. They hadn’t deserved to be under suspicion like that. 

Rhydian was grateful for the interruption when their food arrived. He was able to shift the conversation. They were soon talking about the school holidays. Shannon was apparently volunteering at the vets in town three days a week. Tom was spending most of the time playing football, it seemed. 

“Me mam’s been making us help out at the farm,” Maddy complained. 

“At least you’re outside in the fresh air,” Rhydian said. “Try spending your day in a stuffy kitchen making pizzas.” 

“Pizzas?” asked Tom. 

“The guy I’m staying with now runs a pizza shop,” he explained. “I didn’t have much choice about working there.” 

“Plus side, free pizza.” 

“Yeah, but he’s obsessed with pizza. He puts everything on it. He’s made a banana pizza,” Rhydian made a face. “That was worse than the rabbit.” 

That got a laugh from round the table. Rhydian was feeling properly relaxed for the first time ages. He was home, with his friends, where he belonged. 

Then he smelled a new scent. Human. One that didn’t belong here. A scent that carried with it a memory of cages and fear. 

Rhydian spun round in his seat towards the opening door of the café. In walked a man in a dark uniform that looked military even without his weapons. His face was set in a serious expression beneath the red beret that marked his status. Wes. 

Rhydian grabbed his bag and was on his feet so fast he knocked the chair over. He charged at the door, throwing his weight into Wes, catching him off guard long enough to shove past him. Wes tried to grab hold but Rhydian had wolf strength on his side. He pulled away from Wes and was out into the village square, already running. 

He caught sight of another figure, Wes’s partner Eric, and changed direction mid-stride, racing up a side street away from the square. He was aware of yelling behind him as he pounded past buildings towards the woods. There were feet running after him. Some quickly fell behind but as he ran into the edge of the trees, he was aware of one pair keeping up. Maddy was running after him. 

“What’s going on?” she called, barely breathing hard. 

Rhydian didn’t answer. He just kept running, dodging between the trees, wanting to put as much distance between himself and his past as possible. 

A new scent carried on the wind. 

Rhydian came to a stop so suddenly that Maddy nearly crashed into him. There, standing in the middle of a clearing, was RJ. 

“Hello, Rhydian. We need to talk.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was like someone had sapped all the strength out of him. Rhydian sank down onto a fallen log. He could easily outrun RJ but what was the point? So he sat there, while RJ fixed him with a disappointed stare. 

Maddy wasn’t so easily beaten. She positioned herself between Rhydian and RJ. 

“Who the hell are you?” she asked. She sniffed the air, no doubt picking up the hint of wolf in RJ’s scent, “What are you?” 

“It’s OK, Mads,” said Rhydian. She was still standing between them, protectively. It was rather sweet actually. 

“I just want to talk to Rhydian,” said RJ. 

Maddy looked between the two of them. 

“Go back to the village,” said Rhydian. “Let Tom and Shannon know I’m alright.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“I’m fine, Maddy. Go back to the village.” 

Maddy hesitated a while longer. She shot RJ a final, suspicious look before walking slowly through the trees. Once she was gone, RJ reached for his wrist, for a bracelet that Rhydian had seen around the apartment but never seen RJ wear until now. 

“It’s OK,” RJ said into the bracelet. “Call off the wolf hunt. I’ve found him.” 

“Understood,” came Wes’s voice through the bracelet. 

Ears pricked, Rhydian could still hear Maddy’s footsteps through the trees. She was probably listening to them too, the wolf senses more powerful than a human’s. She’d have heard that. She’d know that RJ knew he was a Wolfblood. 

RJ walked across the clearing and sat down with a sigh on the log beside Rhydian. That disappointed sigh was worse than all the lectures or shouting in the world. 

“I was going to come back,” Rhydian said, “before the full moon.” 

“I wish I could believe that, Rhydian, but you ran way the minute I took the collar off.” 

“I wasn’t running away. Not really.” 

Rhydian reached into his bag, rummaging through the clothes until he found the slip of paper tucked away near the bottom. His return ticket. He held it out to RJ, who looked at it, reading the flight time and date. 

“Oh, Rhydian,” RJ sighed again. “Why?” 

“I needed to see my friends, to come back here. I missed this place. It just didn’t feel right at JKP. Lily and Theo and Casey, they’re your pack, they’re not mine. I just… needed to be where I belonged for a bit.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I was afraid you wouldn’t let me come.” 

There was a long silence. Rhydian was staring at the damp ground by his feet. He didn’t want to look up and see RJ’s expression. It hurt too much to see the disappointment there. 

“I’m sorry,” RJ said. 

That shocked a reaction out of him. Rhydian did look up then, turning his surprised gaze to RJ, who looked sad still but not angry. 

“The instinct for a pack, for a place to belong, is strong for any wolf spirit,” RJ said, “never mind a Wolfblood. By pushing you to connect with your wolf side, I probably made you feel it worse than ever. I should have realised. But you should have said something.” 

“I’m sorry,” said Rhydian. 

“I know. But you caused a lot of trouble disappearing like that.” 

“How did you find me so fast?” 

“Wes has connections.” 

“Of course.” Wes’s connections were the reason he and Eric had been called in when the British police came across a case they knew they couldn’t deal with through normal channels. When the police saw a vicious animal turn into a boy, they’d asked the Silver Guardians to step in. 

Rhydian reached up to his neck, rubbing against the bare skin where the collar had been. Would Eric insist on it going back on? 

“What will happen now?” Rhydian asked. 

“That’s a very good question,” RJ answered. “If we go back, you’ll still have these feelings, the drive to return to your own kind. I’m right that Maddy is like you, aren’t I?” Rhydian hesitated, then nodded. 

“But,” RJ continued, “I can’t just let you stay here either. You’ve still got a lot to learn about your wolf side and I don’t think the Silver Guardians would like it if we just ignored this display. It’ll be harder than ever to prove you’re not a threat to ordinary humans.” 

“So what will you do?” 

“There’s only one choice. I have to move to Stoneybridge.” 

Rhydian wondered for a moment if he’d misheard. He stared at RJ in shock. 

“Are you serious?” 

RJ feigned anger, “How dare you accuse me of such a thing? I’m never serious.” Then he smiled, “But it would solve the problem.” 

“You’d move to Stoneybridge so I could be with my friends without the Silver Guardians kicking up a fuss?” 

“If that’s what it takes.” 

Rhydian flung his arms around RJ, part laughing, part crying. RJ patted him gently on the back. 

“You’d think no one had ever done anything nice for you before,” said RJ. 

“Not like this. My mates have leant me money when I’ve been short or let me borrow a pencil in school. No one’s ever moved half way round the world for me.” 

“You’re part of my pack now, Rhydian, one of my cubs. If this is what you need, I’ll do it. But you’re still grounded until the end of the universe.” 

Rhydian laughed, breaking the hug. He couldn’t be annoyed at his punishment. He knew he deserved it. He’d figured he’d get much worse than grounded when he saw Wes. To have someone willing to turn his life upside down for him was a greater thrill than the full moon. 

“Is this what it’s like to have a family?” Rhydian asked. 

“This is a lot more normal than my family,” RJ answered. 

RJ stood, Rhydian following suit. 

“There’s a lot to sort out,” RJ said. “If we’re going to come back to a place you used to live, we’ll have to make sure everything’s perfectly legal. That means a visa for me, and it means figuring out how to make me officially your guardian. And I’ll need to find us a place to live. You won’t be able to just start living here today.” 

“I understand.” 

“Good. Because we’ll have to go with Wes and Eric today.” 

“They’re not going to lock me up again, are they?” 

“No. I won’t let them.” 

“Thanks.” 

They started walking back towards the village. 

“I have to tell Maddy and the others not to worry,” Rhydian said, “and that I’ll be back soon.” 

“Of course,” RJ replied. “But don’t…” Rhydian was away through the trees before RJ could finish, “run off.” 

Rhydian retraced his steps earlier, almost giddy with excitement. He was coming home. He had a guardian who would protect him, who was willing to do whatever it took to help him. The feeling of belonging earlier was nothing to what he felt now. He had a pack, not just a borrowed space in Maddy’s. RJ was his pack now. 

He reached the village in record time, heading straight for Bernie’s. His sharp ears picked up Maddy’s voice from within. 

“It was like Rhydian just gave up when he saw him,” she was saying. 

“And he was American, like them?” Tom asked. 

Maddy started to reply, but by then Rhydian had reached the café and opened the door. His friends looked up at him, surprised and obviously glad to see him. 

“Are you OK?” Maddy asked, getting to her feet. 

“I am brilliant,” Rhydian said, grabbing her and swinging her round. 

“You don’t need to sound so happy.” 

Rhydian turned. Standing on the other side of the small café were Wes and Eric, no doubt waiting for RJ’s return from the woods. Eric was looking sternly at him. 

“Do you realise how much trouble you caused running off like that?” Eric asked. 

All Rhydian’s excitement faded. He squirmed under that stare. 

“RJ and I have talked it through,” he said. 

“Really? Did he tell you how worried he was when you disappeared?” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t look very sorry.” 

Rhydian felt the wolf writhing within. Only the training with RJ let him keep it under control. 

“Look, RJ understands why I did it. That’s what matters. I don’t care what you think!” 

“Well maybe you should think a bit more about others before you act.” 

“Hey!” Behind the counter, Bernie had been watching the unfolding argument, “If you want to fight, take it outside. Not in my café.” 

Wes crossed the room, put a hand on Eric’s arm. 

“Come on, Eric.” 

The two of them left the café. Outside, in the village square, he saw RJ approaching at a slightly breathless jog. Rhydian turned to his friends. 

“I’ve got to go,” he said, “but I’ll be back. Soon. I promise.”


	6. Chapter 6

Rhydian lay on the bed in a small hotel room and listened to RJ argue with Wes. They were in the room next door, their voices quiet enough that human hearing wouldn’t be able to make them out. Rhydian heard every word. RJ had asked for Wes’s help in making arrangements. Wes wasn’t happy about the plan. 

“I agree he’s a good enough kid when he’s in human form,” Wes was saying, “but he’s reckless. He ran off first chance he had.” 

“He had a return ticket,” RJ said. “He says he would have come back to me before the full moon and I believe him.” 

“He probably means it now. But what about when the moon becomes full? When the wolf takes over, can you really trust him not to run off again?” 

“I’m not going to lock him away because you’re worried about what might happen,” said RJ. 

“So you’d risk someone else getting hurt?” 

“That’s why I’m teaching Rhydian. You don’t know what it’s like to have an animal form inside you that’s out of control. I do.” 

Rhydian sat up slightly at that, looking towards the wall beyond which RJ stood. RJ had talked about understanding him, but he’d never mentioned this before. 

“I’m not going to help you,” Wes said, “unless you can guarantee that Rhydian won’t hurt anyone again.” 

“I promise.” 

A few moments later, Rhydian heard the door open and shut, then there came a quiet tap on his own. Rhydian was on his feet, giving the invitation to enter. RJ walked in. 

“How much did you hear?” RJ asked. 

Rhydian crossed the room and hugged him, “I won’t let you down. I promise.” 

***

There was a ridiculous amount of paperwork that needed to be sorted out, particularly given how quickly RJ wanted things to move. As well as forms to fill out, RJ spent a lot of time on the phone to people who had contacts and connections who could hurry things through the system. Rhydian was starting to joke that RJ must be a secret agent knowing all these influential people in high places. 

They had a hotel room in central London so that RJ could visit the US Embassy and discuss visa applications. Rhydian hated every moment in the city. It was all pollution and noise and buildings cramming him in on all sides. He tried running through the parks but there were always people. He couldn’t escape them. 

One morning, as Rhydian tucked into a large portion of bacon and sausage from the hotel buffet, RJ came and sat across from him. He gave one of his little smiles. 

“It’ll be another three days before I can pick up the paperwork,” RJ said. 

“Three days? I’m going to explode.” 

“That’s why, I think we need a little field trip.” 

“Field trip?” 

“If I’m going to be looking after you, we ought to run it past your mother.” 

***

“Mum won’t like you,” Rhydian said for what felt like the hundredth time. “You’re not Wolfblood.” 

“I can still have a conversation with her,” RJ replied. 

They were trekking across the moor on which the pack roamed. Rhydian led the way, sniffing the air occasionally to pick up their scent. So far, he’d only caught old traces. So he kept walking into the wild. Sooner or later, he’d come across a fresher trail and he’d follow it to the pack. 

“I was taken by humans when I was a kid,” Rhydian explain, “and she was furious about it. She blames the whole species. She won’t be happy about you taking me away from her again.” 

“I think I can handle your mum.” Rhydian sniggered. “That came out slightly wrong.” 

“That’s what she said,” Rhydian said and laughed again. RJ shook his head at him. 

Overhead, the grey sky started to let fall a slow rain. The running water wouldn’t help with finding a scent. Still, Rhydian kept walking, sniffing for the wolves. They had to walk nearly another hour before Rhydian’s nose picked up something. It was a trail a few days old at least, but it was the start. He followed his nose across grass and scrubby heather, boots and trousers getting quickly coated with mud as the rain continued to fall. Despite the weather, there was something that felt right about this. Relying on animal senses, tracking a target across the wild. 

The reached a small stream. Where the trail crossed the running water the scent was lost. Rhydian wondered if the wolf had run along the stream for a time. He stood there, sniffing the air, trying to recover the trail. 

“Have you lost them?” RJ asked. 

“Not for long,” Rhydian answered. He reached inside him and felt the wolf, ready and waiting. He let his human form slide away and brought the animal to the surface. The animal wanted to hunt. 

The wolf stood beside the stream, sniffing at ground and plants, searching for the hints of scent of its own kind. The smell was obscured by the nearby human scent, but it was there. It couldn’t be hidden. The wolf hurried up stream, nose still sniffing along the muddy bank, picking up the scent more clearly now. He wanted to race off, to follow the animal instincts and track down his prey. But the human mind was still inside, wanting to be heard. The wolf slowed and waited for the other human to catch up. 

He walked in wolf form until the stream widened. There were more scents here. Many animals used this stream as a source of water, including the wolves. He picked up his mother’s scent, fresh and clear. The pack instinct wanted to run to her, to his own kind. But the wolf didn’t rule him. 

Rhydian stood, taking human form again. RJ was beside him, eyes sparkling with pride at the sight of Rhydian’s control of his wolf form. 

“You’ve found them?” RJ asked. 

Rhydian nodded, “This way.” 

He led the way from the stream, cutting across uneven ground that rose up in a slight hill to their right. Rhydian recognised this place now. It was one of the places the wolf pack gathered. As they made their way around the base of the hill, he heard a faint growling. There was a cluster of rocks overgrown by small trees. Among the trunks and branches were yellow eyes, staring out at them with distrust. 

As they got closer, the growling grew louder until even RJ’s human ears picked it up. 

“Suddenly I feel like lunch,” RJ said. 

“You want to eat now?” 

“That wasn’t the way I meant.” 

A wolf leapt out from the cluster of trees, crossing the ground towards them. Her yellow eyes were fixed on RJ, a low growl coming from her throat. Rhydian recognised her by her scent and put himself between her and RJ. 

“Hi, Mum,” he said. 

She shifted into human form, fur melting away and limbs shifting until she stood there as a woman instead of a wolf. Her eyes were still wolf-like, gleaming yellow. 

“You brought a human here?” she asked. 

“RJ wanted to meet you,” Rhydian said. “He’s looking after me now.” 

“He’s one of the humans who took you away. I won’t let him keep you from your pack.” 

“He’s not keeping me. I’m choosing to stay with RJ.” 

“Choosing to abandon your pack,” his mum said, “abandon who you really are.” 

“You’re the one who’s ignoring half of who you are,” Rhydian snapped back. “You’re part human, but you pretend otherwise. You only listen to the wolf so you ignore the human part. I want both.” 

“You think you can be Wolfblood while living with a human,” she sneered the last word as an insult. Rhydian heard RJ shift behind him but RJ remained silent. 

“I’ve learned a lot from RJ,” Rhydian said, “about the wolf and the human sides of me. I’m going to embrace both sides of who I am. If that means I have to leave you then I’m sorry.” 

Rhydian saw the dark veins forming across his mother’s skin. Her eyes gleamed and her mouth opened to reveal fangs. 

“I won’t let you take my son from me,” she snarled at RJ. She leapt, knocking Rhydian out the way and transforming mid-jump. Rhydian felt a moment of terror, afraid of what his mother might do in this state. But RJ dodged quickly away from the headlong rush. He brought his arms up in front of him. The air seemed to shimmer around him. Then, when he extended his arms, a wolf form emerged from nowhere. It hung in the air, huge and purple, almost glowing. The giant wolf snarled at Rhydian’s mother. She snarled back. The two wolves glared at each other, a show of dominance. 

The giant wolf made a move forward, a great paw slashing at the flesh and blood wolf. Rhydian’s mother backed off. She didn’t look injured, but she was offering submission to the great wolf, the giant beast that seemed almost transparent before RJ. In the trees, the other wolves in the pack were shifting nervously, offering their own submission to this wolf master. 

Rhydian was still trying to work out what the hell was going on. RJ had just made a big, purple wolf out of thin air. That sort of thing didn’t happen! But, he supposed, if anyone was going to create massive freaking wolves, it would be RJ. Now the wolf faded back into nothing and RJ stood there, smiling slightly like he’d just come up with a new idea for a pizza. 

Rhydian turned to his mum, who’d transformed back into her human form. 

“I’m not going to forget I’m a wolf,” Rhydian said, “but I’m not going to ignore the fact I’m human either. I’m going to live with RJ. I know it’s not what you wanted, but it’s what’s right for me.” 

“He’s not your family. He’s not your pack!” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“What about your brother?” his mum asked. 

Rhydian turned to look at the wolves in the trees. He knew immediately which one was Brin. The young wolf separated himself from the others, coming forward, transforming as he did so. He looked up at Rhydian with big, sad eyes. 

“I’m sorry, Brin,” said Rhydian. “If you want to come with us and learn about being a human-“ 

“You won’t take Brin from me,” their mum snapped. She moved to Brin, a protective arm around him. 

“I’m not trying to take him,” Rhydian insisted. 

RJ stepped forward, “I wouldn’t take anyone from their family. But I’m a teacher. If Rhydian wants to learn with me then he’s welcome to, for as long as he needs me. If your other son wants to come to me and learn, I’ll be glad to teach him. But only as long as it’s his choice.” 

“You’re trying to destroy this family.” 

“Oh shut up, Mum,” Rhydian said. “I’m not a cub anymore. I’m old enough to make my own decisions. Maybe you should just accept that.” 

She snarled at him. Rhydian snarled back, bringing the wolf to the surface. It was still there, feeding on the desire for independence, to assert control. Human and wolf together glared at his mother and for the first time Rhydian really understood what RJ always talked about. The logical part and the instinctive part were in perfect union, wolf and human acting together. As he stared down his mother, she couldn’t compete with the strength of his two sides in perfect synergy. 

She backed off. 

“Come on, RJ,” Rhydian said. “Brin, if you want to visit, you’re welcome anytime.” 

Rhydian started walking away from the pack. RJ fell into step beside him as they retraced their trail across the moors. They put a good distance behind them before Rhydian spoke. 

“That glowing wolf thing,” he said, “how did you do that?” 

“I channelled my wolf spirit.” 

“Could you teach me?” 

“I’ll teach you anything you like,” RJ answered, “when you’re ready.” 

They walked a little further. Then RJ turned to Rhydian and smiled. 

“You’re family’s still more normal than mine,” he said.


	7. Chapter 7

Two days after the disastrous meeting with Rhydian mum, Rhydian sat with RJ at the breakfast table back in the hotel. Rhydian was on his third helping of proper bacon, something he’d been sorely missing while living with RJ, when Wes walked into the restaurant holding a folder. He came over to their table and offered the folder to RJ. 

“It’s done,” he said. “As of today, you are officially Rhydian’s legal guardian.” 

RJ grinned at Rhydian as he took the folder and opened it, looking through the paperwork. 

“We had to pull a lot of strings to get it all approved this quickly,” Wes went on. “I had to contact Trini and get her to call in a few favours.” 

“Who’s Trini?” asked Rhydian. 

“She’s got some fancy job title that I can’t really remember, but basically she’s working at the Whitehouse doing something with the diplomatic service.” 

“You know people in the Whitehouse? When RJ said you had connections, he wasn’t kidding.” 

“I don’t really know Trini, but I once fought a giant, metal serpent with a guy who was in high school with her,” Wes said. “He put me in touch.” 

Rhydian wasn’t quite sure if Wes was serious. He looked like he was. Since Rhydian turned into a wolf every full moon, he wasn’t sure he was in a position to judge anyone else for being weird. Whether the serpent thing was true or not, it was clear that Wes and the others had gone to a massive amount of trouble to make this happen. 

RJ was still flicking through the folder. He took out an envelope and peered inside. 

“That’s from Anton,” Wes said. 

“Who?” Rhydian asked again. 

“A scientist,” RJ answered, “who used to turn into an evil lizard monster.” RJ tilted his head and looked at Rhydian, “I might introduce you sometime. He’ll probably have an interesting perspective on what you have to deal with.” 

Again came that moment where Rhydian wasn’t sure if they were serious. They finished up breakfast quickly and headed upstairs to pack up their belongings, ready for the move back to Stoneybridge. While RJ nipped out to arrange for a vehicle, Rhydian took the opportunity to sneak a look into the folder. He looked at what was inside the envelope. It was a cheque. 

It was a cheque with a lot of zeroes on the figure. 

This Anton guy was loaning RJ a lot of money. As he flipped through the rest of the contents of the folder, Rhydian realised why. He found the documents for the purchasing of a properly in Stoneybridge. Rhydian felt almost sick with guilt. He knew that RJ was taking a risk on him, knew the effort and the upheaval that RJ was going through. Somehow seeing this slip of paper with this row of numbers made it hit home like a physical blow. 

Rhydian couldn’t let him down. 

***

Getting to Stoneybridge took considerably longer than just the drive. RJ had rented a removals van and first they had to stop off at a furniture warehouse to pick up various flat pack items that RJ had ordered during their stay in London. Once all that was done, there was the drive and a stop for some dreadful pizza at a motorway service station. Then they headed back to the van. There was one more stop for RJ to pick up the keys to their new home from a real estate office a town over from Stoneybridge. 

Despite their early start, it was mid-afternoon by the time they actually pulled the van in on a narrow street just off the village square. RJ had purchased the old bakery, a building that had a large shop front area and kitchen on the ground floor, with a decent apartment above. This place had been empty all the time that Rhydian had lived in Stoneybridge, so this was the first time he’d been inside. It was a little smaller than JKP, the building narrower, and the paintwork had a tired feel to it, but RJ was already talking excitedly about how he could remake it. 

Rhydian left RJ plotting the location for his pizza ovens, and headed upstairs. The house above wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for them. There was a bathroom, living area and bedroom on the floor above the shop, with a narrow staircase leading up to a converted attic space. The roof sloped down slightly so that Rhydian would bash his head at the edges of the room, but the room stretched the length of the apartment. Huge skylights gave it a feeling of being open to the sky. 

“This is my room,” Rhydian yelled down the stairs to RJ. 

“Territorial,” RJ yelled back. “Come grab some furniture!” 

They spent the better part of the next hour manoeuvring stuff out of the van and up to the flat. The narrow staircase to Rhydian’s room proved problematic, even with the furniture flat packed. They ended up having to open up the box for the bed and carrying up the pieces separately. 

“Casey just had a hammock,” RJ complained as they wrestled with the mattress to get it up the stairs. 

Rhydian would have been annoyed about being compared to RJ’s former student, but right then a hammock seemed like a really good idea. They’d just about got the furniture in the right rooms, albeit mostly still in boxes, when someone rang the doorbell. 

RJ went to say hello to their new neighbours. The elderly couple who lived next door wanted to welcome them to the village. RJ greeted them cheerfully. Rhydian, aware of his reputation around here as a troublemaker, said a quick hi and then slunk upstairs with a screwdriver to start working on his bed. A little while later, RJ got rid of their first lot of visitors and came to help with the bed. 

Just as they were finishing, the doorbell went again. 

“Friendly community,” RJ commented. Rhydian followed him down the first set of stairs, intending to make a start on RJ’s bed but, as the front door opened, a familiar scent blew in and set a grin on his face. 

“You!” Tom yelled from the doorway. “Where’s Rhydian?” 

Rhydian leapt down the main staircase and out into the shop part of the building. Tom and Shannon were in the doorway, no doubt drawn by curiosity about the new arrival. RJ dodged out of the way as Rhydian barrelled past to greet his friends. 

“I said I’d be back,” Rhydian said. He gestured to RJ, “This is RJ. He’s my new guardian.” 

“I prefer to think of myself as Rhydian’s spiritual mentor.” 

“Just ignore him,” Rhydian said. “I usually do.” 

“That hurts,” RJ gave a look of mock pain before smiling. Tom and Shannon were looking at him strangely, which was fairly normal for people meeting RJ for the first time. 

“Does Maddy know you’re back?” Shannon asked Rhydian. 

“Not yet. We’ve only just arrived and I’ve been getting stuff sorted.” 

“You’ve gotta call her.” 

“I don’t have a phone anymore,” Rhydian said. He’d lost his phone on his last night in the wild, somewhere between attacking a hiker and waking up in a cell with Wes staring at him through the bars. He hadn’t bought one while at JKP because he’d been saving up his money for the air fare. 

Tom had his phone out and was already pulling up Maddy’s number. 

“You need to come to the old bakery in the village,” Tom said. He paused, presumably while Maddy spoke, then said, “Because you really need to be here.” 

He hung up and grinned at Rhydian, “Didn’t want to spoil your surprise.” 

“While you’re waiting,” said RJ, “there’s half an Ikea showroom upstairs that needs putting back together.” 

“What will you be doing?” Rhydian asked. 

“I’m going to be calling Lily about getting my chair shipped over.” 

“Now who’s territorial?” 

“It’s a wolf thing. Now get to work.” 

“Yes, boss.” Rhydian flicked a fake salute and headed back to the stairs, Tom and Shannon trailing behind him. They went into the living room, where boxes were covering the floor. He grabbed the screwdriver again. 

“Did he say wolf?” Tom asked. 

“Long story,” Rhydian said. 

They headed through to RJ’s bedroom and set to work assembling the bed. It was Tom who asked the question. 

“What the hell’s going on?” 

“RJ knows I’m a Wolfblood and he knows I need to be in my own territory. Where we were living before, my need for a pack of my own, a place to belong, where causing me issues. So RJ suggested we move.” 

Rhydian had skipped massive chunks of the story and they could clearly tell. When they pressed, he said that he wanted to wait until Maddy was here so that he’d only have to tell the whole thing once. He didn’t actually want to tell it at all but at least this way, he’d get to put it in his own words. If his friends decided to hate him afterwards, at least it would be over in one go. 

They were making quick work on the bed with the three of them working together, so they had most of the frame together when there was yet another blast from the doorbell. 

Rhydian hurried down the stairs, stiffing the scent of wolf as RJ opened the door. But it wasn’t Maddy who stood there. It was her mum. She was looking at RJ with deep suspicion, giving a faint sniff, no doubt picking up the trace of wolf. 

“Hello, Mrs Smith,” Rhydian said calmly. 

“Rhydian,” Mrs Smith had a fake smile plastered on her face, “I’d hurt a rumour you were coming back.” 

“RJ thought it best if I was somewhere I felt I belonged.” 

RJ offered his hand, “RJ Finn. I’m Rhydian’s new Guardian.” 

Mrs Smith hesitated a moment before shaking the hand. 

“I know Maddy has missed Rhydian. He’s welcome to stay over at our house occasionally if he wants. Perhaps Tuesday next week?” 

Tuesday next week was the full moon. Mrs Smith was inviting Rhydian to spend the transformation with her pack, locked inside the den they’d built in the basement. It would be as bad as being in a cage. RJ glanced towards Rhydian and must have seen some of his thoughts written on his face. 

“Rhydian and I have already made arrangements for Tuesday. Perhaps another night.” 

His careful wording was his way of letting her know that he knew about the Wolfblood thing without actually saying it. Rhydian guessed it was because RJ wasn’t sure who exactly knew, but he must have figured out about Mrs Smith. There was a moment of cold civility before Mrs Smith made her excuses, saying that clearly RJ and Rhydian were busy. 

“Why didn’t Maddy come with her?” Tom asked. 

“Because Maddy’s parents don’t know whether to trust RJ,” Rhydian answered. “They wanted to check out the situation first.” 

Rhydian was glad he wasn’t wearing the collar now. If Mrs Smith had seen that, Maddy wouldn’t probably not be allowed within a five mile radius of Rhydian or RJ. Hopefully seeing Rhydian safe and cheerful would convince her to let Maddy hang out with him again. If the worst came to the worst, the school holidays would come to their end soon and at least he’d get to see her at school.


	8. Chapter 8

Tom and Shannon acted as lines of communication between Rhydian and Maddy. Maddy’s parents knew that RJ knew about Rhydian being a Wolfblood, but didn’t want to take the risk of giving him proof about them or Maddy. So Maddy was not allowed to be anywhere where she might meet RJ. Fortunately, they hadn’t forbidden her from seeing Rhydian, so the four friends had arranged a meeting out in the woods. Rhydian brought with him a picnic of cold pizza, cooked in the new oven that RJ had installed in the bakery. 

Out in the wood, eating their pizza, Maddy insisted on the whole story. Rhydian started with the things he’d said before, about living with his mum and the pack of wild Wolfbloods, as well as the frustrations he’d faced in that life. He didn’t quite fit with the pack; he’d spent too long among humans to be truly accepted. He’d started spending time away from the pack, in human form, because he wasn’t up for spending all his time as a wolf. 

“During the full moon,” Rhydian said, “I got separated from the pack. And there was this hiker. He’d got lost on the moors and was trying to make it back to town. The wolf was in complete control and I... attacked him.” 

“Was he alright?” Maddy asked. 

“Only because his girlfriend had reported him missing and called out search and rescue. A helicopter spotted us and one of them had a tranquiliser gun. The guy got away with flesh wounds. I woke up the next day in a cell.” 

"They saw you transform?" Maddy looked horrified. The need for secrecy had been drilled into her for her entire life. The idea of strangers, authorities, learning the truth was a nightmare for her. 

“They didn’t know what to do with me. They couldn’t report what really happened because people would think they were nuts or the truth about Wolfbloods would cause a panic, but they couldn’t ignore the fact that, in my wolf form, I’d really hurt someone.” 

“So what did they do?” Shannon asked. 

“One of them had a contact, someone they’d heard of who dealt with weird cases with a sort of private security company in the States. The Silver Guardians, led by Wes and Eric. They took me into custody.” 

“Those were the guys who came to get you when you came back here?” Maddy guessed correctly. Rhydian nodded. 

“They were nice enough, but they kept me trapped in a cage. It was driving me nuts. They knew that it wasn’t going to work out long term. So they brought in RJ.” 

“Who exactly is RJ?” Tom asked. 

Rhydian shrugged. “Exactly? God knows. I don’t know half his secrets. But he’s a wolf master. He understands about having a wolf and human side in conflict and he can make this giant, purple wolf out of thin air which was amazingly cool and he’s promised to show me how to do that someday.” 

“Giant purple wolf?” Maddy asked. She looked as though she thought Rhydian had gone mad. 

"The point is that he knows stuff about being part wolf and he’s been teaching me to channel both sides of myself.” 

“And you trust him?” Maddy asked. 

“Yeah. I trust him.” More than he trusted himself sometimes. 

***

The day of the full moon arrived. Rhydian spent the morning trying to burn off energy through helping RJ with the renovations. He wanted to be outside, running wild, waiting for the moon. Instead, he moved furniture, painted the walls and helped RJ carry the new fridge into the kitchen. He tried to lose himself in artwork for a while. RJ had asked him to do some paintings to decorate the restaurant, but it was too close to the moon for him to stand still very long. 

He came back down to the kitchen, where RJ gave him a collection of cleaning supplies and told him to get the place spotless. This time, it had nothing to do with training. This time, RJ needed the place to pass muster if he was to get certification from the department of health to run the restaurant. Scrubbing every surface in the kitchen only distracted Rhydian for a short while though. 

At lunch time, RJ took him back upstairs. This was the moment they’d both been dreading. RJ went into his bedroom and emerged with the silver collar in his hands. Rhydian wanted to knock the thing out of his hands or to just run off. RJ wouldn’t be able to catch him up. He wanted to fight. To be free. 

Instead, he turned round and let RJ lock the collar around his neck. 

He felt the first hints of the change, running with his fury through his blood. He didn’t want to be caged. He didn’t want to be trapped. 

He took a breath. He felt the power dim inside him, the change postponed for a short while. 

“You OK?” RJ asked. 

Rhydian didn’t answer at once. He thought about it, felt the wolf inside him, angry but tempered by his human understanding. 

“Yeah, I’m OK,” he answered. 

RJ smiled, "I've packed you a snack.” 

The snack turned out to be some strips of chicken and beef meatballs. They were in a paper bag that would be easily biodegradable, so Rhydian wouldn’t have to worry about tidying up the mess if he ripped the bag to shreds in his wolf form. It was a simple enough plan; if Rhydian wasn’t hungry, he’d have to reason to hunt anything or anyone. In the meantime, RJ would keep an eye on him using the tracker in the collar. He’d make sure that Rhydian didn’t go anywhere near Stoneybridge or other populated areas. 

“You can still change your mind,” RJ said, “if you want to go stay with your friend.” 

Rhydian thought of Maddy’s den, being trapped underground after moonrise. It was just another cage. 

So he took his food and set off into the woods at a run. 

***

Darkness fell over the woods and Rhydian felt the change stirring within him. He felt the wolf’s power surging through his blood. He felt strong. He felt fast. He felt like he could run forever with the wind and never be chained again. 

He ran through the trees until he found a quiet clearing away from the smell of any humans. He placed his food down beside a tree trunk, the smell of meat filling his nostrils. 

He knew that beyond the trees, Maddy and her family would be shutting themselves in for the night. Rhydian wished he could be with them, be part of the pack, but he’d spent too much time being caged. Now it was time to be free. 

Somewhere beyond the trees, the full moon for rising. 

Rhydian dropped to all fours and felt the change surging through him. 

***

The wolf ran in a world of smells. His own trail was a clear line back through the woods. His food was a taunting, enticing treasure of meat, quickly devoured. He could smell himself in the trees, along with the other wolves of this territory. This was his place, his pack. Their scent touched the ground and air, marking this place as home. 

He belonged. 

He ran through the trees, adding his marks to the territory and revelling in the freedom. 

There was a new scent on the wind, a scent that wasn’t quite human. The wolf followed it, curious. He let his nose take him to a new clearing among the trees. Someone human had been here, recently. Someone human had left a shirt hanging from a tree, its scent here to draw the wolf to this spot. The wolf sniffed at the shirt, the familiar scent, the scent of his pack. 

There were marks in the earth. Someone had scratched lines into the dirt. The wolf sniffed at them, recognising the scent. The same human had done this. Somewhere deep inside him, the wolf knew that these lines had meaning. They were words, written into the dirt, left here for him to find. Some human part of him looked out through wolf eyes and read the words. “Do you understand?” 

RJ had left this here for him to find, to see if there was enough human left in the wolf for him to understand. It wasn’t just about whether he could read the words. RJ was asking him if the human part of Rhydian could sway the wolf’s behaviour. 

The wolf bent down its nuzzle to the earth and dragged through the dirt, leaving a rough line. It did the same again, and again, scratching its own marks into the ground. 

*** 

Rhydian woke, damp with falling rain. The water was washing away scents, but he could still smell RJ. He turned his head, seeing RJ retrieving the shirt he’d left in the tree. The marks on the ground were obscured and difficult to read, but it was possible to make out the word Rhydian had scratched with his muzzle while he’d been a wolf: yes. 

He’d understood. 

RJ came over to him, smiling. 

“Well?” RJ asked. 

“I understood,” Rhydian said. “I could read it and I knew you were asking if the human part of me was there as well. It was. The wolf was in control, but it was still me in there.” 

RJ’s smile broadened. He pulled a key from his pocket and reached out to undo the collar. 

“Really?” Rhydian asked. 

“For good this time,” RJ said. “I’ll call Wes and tell him that you won’t lose control again.” 

Rhydian felt like he was glowing in the face of such trust. He accepted RJ’s hand to help him to his feet. 

“Does this mean you’ll teach me the glowing wolf thing?” Rhydian asked. 

RJ laughed, “Sure. After breakfast.” 

Together, they walked through the woods towards their new home.


End file.
